Garage to bedroom conversion
Converting a single garage into a bedroom costs €15,000 to €25,000 at a standard finish and €20,000 to €30,000 mid-range, VAT included. With its own shower room, a mid-range bedroom comes to €30,000 to €48,000. An attached garage at the side or back needs no planning application; the room needs insulation, a damp-proof floor, mains smoke alarms and a window you could escape through.
A downstairs bedroom in the garage: what it costs, what the room needs to be safe to sleep in, and adding a shower room.
Free and no obligation. Your plan goes to one builder, not a list.
- €15,000–€25,000standard finish
- €30,000–€48,000mid-range with a shower room
- 0.33 m²escape window clear opening
- 6–10 weekson site
What a garage bedroom needs
- A window to escape through. At least 0.33 m² of clear opening, no less than 450 mm wide or high, the bottom no more than 1,100 mm above the floor.
- Smoke alarms on the mains, linked to the alarms in the rest of the house so one sets off the others.
- Warmth. Walls and floor insulated to 0.18 W/m²K and a radiator on the house heating: a cold garage bedroom is one nobody uses.
- A dry floor. A damp-proof membrane under an insulated floor, raised to the level of the hall.
- Air. An opening window and a trickle vent for background ventilation.
A single garage, about 2.7 to 3 m wide inside once the walls are lined, takes a double bed with room to walk round it and a wardrobe along one wall.
Adding a shower room
Many garage bedrooms are for a parent, a teenager or guests, and a shower room of their own makes the room work on its own. Fit-out costs €4,000 to €8,000 at a basic finish and €10,000 to €18,000 mid-range, on top of the conversion. The deciding factor is the drains: a shower room against the house wall, near the existing soil pipe, needs a short waste run. One at the far end of the garage may need the floor dug for a new drain, or a macerator pump.
Space for a shower room usually comes from the back of the garage, leaving a bedroom of 11 to 13 m² in front of it.
Plan your garage conversion
Four quick taps, and your plan fills in as you answer: the cost in your county, the planning position for your kind of garage and how many weeks it takes. Contact details come last, and only if you want a builder to price it.
An attached garage made into a bedroom, mid-range finish: €20,000 to €30,000, including VAT.
How the estimate is worked out
A garage conversion is priced as one job, because the walls, roof and floor slab are already standing: insulating the floor, walls and roof, building up the door opening with a window, wiring, heating, plastering and the finish. The range for your finish is adjusted to your county the same way building rates move between regions of Ireland, VAT at 13.5% included. A shower room, a small kitchen or a steel beam into the house go on top. Totals are rounded to the nearest €1,000. Use it to plan with. It isn't a quote: a builder prices your garage after seeing it.
What a garage can become
Each has its own page: what it costs, the rules that apply to that room, and what to decide first.
Garage to home officeA room with a door that shuts, away from the kitchen table.
Garage to playroomSomewhere for the children and their things, off the hall.
Garage to granny flatA bedroom, a shower room and a small kitchen for a parent.
Garage to gymA warm, dry room with a floor that takes weights.
Integral and front garagesBuilt into the house or facing the road: check before you start.Questions before you convert
Can I turn my garage into a bedroom?
Yes. On an attached garage at the side or back, no planning application is needed if it isn't made bigger. The room has to meet the Building Regulations, including a fire escape window.
How much does a garage to bedroom conversion cost?
€15,000 to €25,000 at a standard finish, €20,000 to €30,000 mid-range, and €30,000 to €48,000 mid-range with a shower room, VAT included.
Does a garage bedroom count as a bedroom when selling?
If it meets the Building Regulations, with the escape window, insulation and smoke alarms, and the planning position is clear. Keep the drawings and any section 5 declaration.
Is a garage bedroom warm enough?
It is if it is insulated to today's standard and heated from the house. The single-leaf walls of most garages need a full insulated lining.
Every guide and county page
Conversions
Costs, rules and help
The room you need is already built
Pick the kind of garage, what it becomes and the finish to see the cost in your county. When you want a firm price, your plan goes to a single vetted builder for your area.